U.S. patent application number 16/737387 was filed with the patent office on 2020-05-07 for system, method, and computer program product for enabling a machine type communication (mtc) coverage enhancement mode.
The applicant listed for this patent is Sony Corporation. Invention is credited to Peter C. Karlsson, Rickard Ljung.
Application Number | 20200145916 16/737387 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52002937 |
Filed Date | 2020-05-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200145916 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ljung; Rickard ; et
al. |
May 7, 2020 |
SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR ENABLING A MACHINE
TYPE COMMUNICATION (MTC) COVERAGE ENHANCEMENT MODE
Abstract
The invention is directed to systems, methods and computer
program products for switching to a machine type communication
(MTC) coverage enhancement mode on a network. An exemplary method
comprises determining a signal quality for a signal from the
network; determining the signal quality is below a threshold
quality level for using Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol to
communicate with the network; in response to determining the signal
quality is below the threshold quality level, switching the device
to the MTC mode and communicating with the network using MTC
specification of the LTE protocol, wherein the device comprises a
non-MTC device.
Inventors: |
Ljung; Rickard;
(Helsingborg, SE) ; Karlsson; Peter C.; (Lund,
SE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sony Corporation |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
52002937 |
Appl. No.: |
16/737387 |
Filed: |
January 8, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16257568 |
Jan 25, 2019 |
10582447 |
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16737387 |
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14565849 |
Dec 10, 2014 |
10206165 |
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16257568 |
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PCT/EP2014/075914 |
Nov 28, 2014 |
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14565849 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 88/02 20130101;
H04W 8/22 20130101; H04W 48/18 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 48/18 20060101
H04W048/18; H04W 88/02 20060101 H04W088/02; H04W 8/22 20060101
H04W008/22 |
Claims
1. A method, for use in a device, for switching the device to a
machine type communication (MTC) coverage enhancement mode on a
network, the method comprising: in response to the network
determining that the device is incapable of maintaining continuous
access to the network over an existing LTE connection between the
device and the network using a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol,
switching the device from an LTE protocol mode to the MTC coverage
enhancement mode by: receiving a trigger from the network to switch
to an enhanced coverage MTC protocol, activating, in response to
receiving the trigger, the enhanced coverage MTC protocol over the
existing LTE connection between the device and the network; and
communicating between the device and the network over the existing
LTE connection using the enhanced coverage MTC protocol, wherein
the device comprises a non-MTC device.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining continuous
unbroken access over the existing LTE connection while the enhanced
coverage MTC protocol is activated and used to communicate with the
network.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least one
of a mobile computing device, a non-mobile computing device, a
mobile phone, a television, a watch, or a tablet computing
device.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is associated with a
standardization specified by the 3.sup.rd Generation Partnership
Project (3GPP).
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the MTC coverage enhancement mode
is specified in the standardization.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein switching the device to the MTC
coverage enhancement mode triggers the device to be usable solely
for emergency access.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein a coverage area associated with
the enhanced coverage MTC protocol is greater than a coverage area
associated with the LTE protocol.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to
switching the device to the MTC coverage enhancement mode,
registering the device as a MTC device.
9. A method, for use in a network node, for switching a device to a
machine type communication (MTC) coverage enhancement mode on a
network, the method comprising: determining that the device is
incapable of maintaining continuous access to the network over an
existing LTE connection between the device and the network using a
Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol; and in response to the network
determining that the device is incapable of maintaining the
continuous access to the network over the existing LTE connection
between the device and the network using the LTE protocol,
switching the device from an LTE protocol mode to the MTC coverage
enhancement mode by: sending a trigger from the network to the
device instructing the device to activate an enhanced coverage MTC
protocol over the existing LTE connection between the device and
the network; and communicating between the device and the network
over the existing LTE connection using the enhanced coverage MTC
protocol, wherein the device comprises a non-MTC device.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising in response to
determining that a signal quality received from the network is
above a threshold level for using the LTE protocol, sending a
second trigger to the device instructing the device to switch from
the MTC coverage enhancement mode to the LTE protocol mode.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the signal quality is
determined by the network.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining that the signal
quality received from the network is above the threshold level
comprises consideration of a hysteresis parameter.
13. The method of claim 9, further comprising maintaining
continuous unbroken access over the existing LTE connection while
the enhanced coverage MTC protocol is activated and used to
communicate between the device and the network.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein the network is associated with a
standardization specified by the 3.sup.rd Generation Partnership
Project (3GPP).
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the MTC coverage enhancement
mode is specified in the standardization.
16. The method of claim 9, wherein a coverage area associated with
the enhanced coverage MTC protocol is greater than a coverage area
associated with the LTE protocol.
17. The method of claim 9, further comprising in response to
switching the device to the MTC coverage enhancement mode,
registering the device as a MTC device.
18. An apparatus for switching to a machine type communication
(MTC) coverage enhancement mode on a network, the apparatus
comprising: a memory; a processor; and a module stored in the
memory, executable by the processor, and configured to: switch the
apparatus from an LTE protocol mode to the MTC coverage enhancement
mode, in response to the network determining that the apparatus is
incapable of maintaining continuous access to the network over an
existing LTE connection between the apparatus and the network using
a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, by: receiving a trigger from
the network to switch to an enhanced coverage MTC protocol,
activating, in response to receiving the trigger, the enhanced
coverage MTC protocol over the existing LTE connection between the
apparatus and the network; and communicating between the apparatus
and the network over the existing LTE connection using the enhanced
coverage MTC protocol, wherein the apparatus comprises a non-MTC
device.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the module is configured to
maintain continuous unbroken access over the existing LTE
connection while activating the enhanced coverage MTC protocol and
communicating with the network using the enhanced coverage MTC
protocol.
20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein switching the apparatus to
the MTC coverage enhancement mode triggers the apparatus to be
usable solely for emergency access.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 16/257,568, filed Jan. 25, 2019, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/565,849, filed
Dec. 10, 2014, which is a continuation of International Application
No. PCT/EP2014/075914 filed Nov. 28, 2014 and published in the
English language. The disclosures of these aforementioned
applications are incorporated herein by reference in their
entireties.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Network access may be inferior in certain places or at
certain times. Inferior network access negatively affects user
experience on a device that is attempting to connect to the
network. There is a need to address such situations of inferior
network access.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0003] Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems,
methods and computer program products for switching a device to a
machine type communication ("MTC") coverage enhancement mode on a
network. An exemplary method comprises determining a signal quality
for a signal from the network; determining the signal quality is
below a threshold quality level for using Long-Term Evolution
("LTE") protocol to communicate with the network; and in response
to determining the signal quality is below the threshold quality
level, switching the device to the MTC mode and communicating with
the network using MTC specification of the LTE protocol, wherein
the device comprises a non-MTC device. As used herein,
communicating with the network using the MTC specification of the
LTE protocol does not require disconnecting an existing LTE
connection to the network; instead, it merely implies switching the
mode of communicating with the network on the existing LTE
connection to the network.
[0004] In some embodiments, the signal quality is determined by the
device.
[0005] In some embodiments, the signal quality is determined by the
network.
[0006] In some embodiments, the non-MTC device comprises at least
one of a mobile computing device, a non-mobile computing device, a
mobile phone, a television, a watch, or a tablet computing
device.
[0007] In some embodiments, the method further comprises in
response to determining the signal quality is below the threshold
quality level, determining that the device cannot communicate with
the network using the LTE protocol.
[0008] In some embodiments, the network is associated with a
standardization specified by the 3.sup.rd Generation Partnership
Project ("3GPP").
[0009] In some embodiments, the MTC mode is specified in the
standardization.
[0010] In some embodiments, switching the device to the MTC mode
triggers the device to be usable for emergency access.
[0011] In some embodiments, a coverage area associated with the MTC
specification is greater than a coverage area associated with the
LTE protocol.
[0012] In some embodiments, the method further comprises in
response to determining the signal quality is not below the
threshold quality level, communicating with the network using the
LTE protocol.
[0013] In some embodiments, the method further comprises
registering the device as a MTC device.
[0014] In some embodiments, the method further comprises
determining whether the device is capable of camping on the network
using the LTE protocol.
[0015] In some embodiments, the method further comprises in
response to determining the device is not capable of camping on the
network using the LTE protocol, switching the device to the MTC
mode and communicating with the network using the MTC specification
of the LTE protocol.
[0016] In some embodiments, the method further comprises the device
comprises an application module and cellular modem.
[0017] In some embodiments, an apparatus is provided for switching
to MTC coverage enhancement mode on a network. The apparatus
comprises a memory; a processor; and a module stored in the memory,
executable by the processor, and configured to: determine a signal
quality for a signal from the network; determine the signal quality
is below a threshold quality level for using LTE protocol to
communicate with the network; in response to determining the signal
quality is below the threshold quality level, switch the apparatus
to the MTC mode and communicate with the network using MTC
specification of the LTE protocol, wherein the apparatus comprises
a non-MTC apparatus.
[0018] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a
cellular modem.
[0019] In some embodiments, the switching functionality is
incorporated into the cellular modem.
[0020] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises an
application module, wherein the switching functionality is not
incorporated into the application module.
[0021] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises an
application module, wherein the switching functionality is
incorporated into the application module.
[0022] In some embodiments, a computer program product is provided
for switching an apparatus to MTC coverage enhancement mode on a
network. The computer program product comprises a non-transitory
computer-readable medium comprising a set of codes for causing a
computer to determine a signal quality for a signal from the
network; determine the signal quality is below a threshold quality
level for using LTE protocol to communicate with the network; in
response to determining the signal quality is below the threshold
quality level, switch the apparatus to the MTC mode and communicate
with the network using MTC specification of the LTE protocol,
wherein the apparatus comprises a non-MTC apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] Having thus described embodiments of the invention in
general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying
drawings, where:
[0024] FIG. 1 is an exemplary coverage area, in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention;
[0025] FIGS. 2A and 2B are exemplary device implementations, in
accordance with embodiments of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 is an exemplary method for switching to MTC coverage
enhancement mode, in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0027] Embodiments of the present invention now may be described
more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown.
Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure may satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers
refer to like elements throughout.
[0028] A device may be referred to as a node or user equipment
("UE"). For the purpose of sending or receiving data, the device
may connect to a wireless local area network ("WLAN") or a cellular
network (including evolution of 3GPP) LTE releases and 5.sup.th
Generation ("5G") LTE releases). Any network described herein may
have one or more base stations ("BS") and/or access points
("AP").
[0029] In coming releases of the 3GPP LTE specification, a separate
operation mode will be specified, targeting MTC. MTC refers to
machines being able to communicate with each other without human
intervention or enablement. An objective for this operation mode is
to handle low data rate communication (e.g., less than a threshold
data rate). Mobile device chipsets that support this separate
operation mode can be produced at a lower cost compared to mobile
device chipsets that support the current 3GPP LTE standard. MTC
enables enhanced coverage on a network. The present invention
incorporates protocol changes that improve the effective link
budget (on the order of .about.10 dB) for network control channels,
thereby improving the probability of a device being within a
coverage area of a network (e.g., an LTE network).
[0030] An MTC device is a type of device (e.g., a sensor, a
measurement system, etc.) that is equipped for MTC or
machine-to-machine ("MTM") communication. The functionality
described herein can be incorporated into any non-MTC device (e.g.,
a smartphone, a tablet, or any other mobile device) such that the
device can specifically request network access using the MTC mode
or enhanced coverage mode. A non-MTC device is a device that
requires human intervention or enablement for establishing
communication with another device. Therefore, the present invention
enables a non-MTC device to communicate over a network where normal
network access (i.e., legacy LTE access) is unavailable due to
inferior network coverage.
[0031] The present invention enables non-MTC capable devices to
utilize a 3GPP MTC coverage enhancement mode for improved network
coverage. As described below, the MTC coverage enhancement mode may
be used for emergency access in some embodiments. Emergency access
refers to a situation where a device can establish communication
with or receive communication from selected recipients. In some
embodiments, an emergency access scenario may be invoked when the
network utilization for a selected area becomes equal to or greater
than a threshold access level. This may happen immediately after a
major incident associated with a particular area (e.g., a fire in a
building). In some embodiments, in an emergency access scenario
that triggers an emergency access mode on the device, the device
may be limited to certain applications (e.g., the device may be
able to initiate communication with or receive communication
requests from a predetermined list of recipients). The invention is
not limited to coverage enhancement only in an emergency access
scenario, and may be applicable to any scenario where a wider
coverage area is needed by the device.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 illustrates a coverage
situation addressed by the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates
network coverage related to the distance from a base station 110
(e.g., an LTE base station) to a device. The legacy LTE coverage
area 120 is smaller than the MTC enhanced coverage area 130. A
device may be able to access the network (i.e., establish a radio
link to the base station) within the coverage area, and cannot
access the network outside the perimeter of the coverage area.
Using the same mobile device, the enhanced coverage MTC protocol
allows for a worse link budget in order to access the network
(i.e., the base station). The present invention allows for any
device (e.g., LTE device) to include functionality for utilizing
the MTC mode. However, in some embodiments, restrictions may apply
to the usage of the MTC mode, e.g., the MTC mode is to be used for
emergency services only.
[0033] As described previously, the present invention proposes a
modification to 3GPP specification. The modification will specify
that any device category will be allowed to utilize the protocol
setup as specified for MTC. The modification will additionally
specify that MTC protocol can be used for enhanced coverage
situations. Further restrictions may be applied to the
specification, e.g., a restriction that a non-MTC device may not
utilize MTC protocol except for certain situations (e.g., emergency
situations), or that the non-MTC device may be required to switch
to ordinary LTE functionality in case the measured radio link
quality is equal to or greater than a threshold quality level.
Radio link quality refers to the quality of the link between the
device and the network. This threshold quality level could be
signaled by the network, and it may be coupled to a hysteresis
parameter to avoid a ping-pong effect. The ping-pong effect refers
to a situation where a device continually switches between multiple
APs associated with the network.
[0034] Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, these figures illustrate
implementation of the present invention in a device. Within the
device, the functionality can be implemented either directly as
part of the cellular modem (FIG. 2A), or both in the cellular modem
and in the operating system within the application domain (FIG.
2B). FIG. 2A illustrates a device 210 comprising an application
module 220 and a cellular modem 230. In FIG. 2A, the application
module 220 is not modified to support MTC capability, but the
cellular modem 230 is modified to support MTC capability. The
cellular modem 230 has both legacy LTE and MTC capability 235, and
an MTC mode switching module 236 enables switching to and from the
MTC mode.
[0035] FIG. 2B illustrates a device 260 comprising an application
module 270 and a cellular modem 280. In FIG. 2B, the application
module 270 is modified such that the MTC mode switching module 286
is incorporated into the application module 270. The cellular modem
280 is also modified such that the cellular modem 280 has both
legacy LTE and MTC capability 285. Each of the devices 210 and 260
also includes a communication interface, a memory, and a processor
(not shown in the figures). The application module 220 or 270 is
stored in the memory, executable by the processor, configured to
interact with the cellular modem 230 or 280 and perform the various
processes described herein.
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 presents a process flow for
enhanced coverage MTC access within a device. At block 310, the
device (or alternatively the network) determines whether the signal
quality experienced by the device is equal to or greater than a
threshold quality level for communicating with the network using
LTE protocol. If the signal quality experienced by the device is
equal to or greater than the threshold quality level, the device
uses LTE protocol for accessing or communicating with the network
(block 340). Using LTE protocol comprises activating physical
circuitry associated with the LTE protocol. If the signal quality
experienced by the device is not equal to or greater than the
threshold quality level, the device uses the LTE MTC coverage
enhancement mode for accessing or communicating with the network
(block 320). Using LTE MTC coverage enhancement mode comprises
activating physical circuitry associated with the LTE MTC coverage
enhancement mode. In some embodiments, the physical circuitry
associated with the LTE protocol is different from that associated
with the LTE MTC coverage enhancement mode. At block 330, while
using the LTE protocol for accessing the network, the device (or
alternatively the network) determines whether the device is capable
of camping on the network using LTE protocol (i.e., whether the
device is capable of maintaining continuous unbroken access to the
network for a predetermined period of time). If the device is
capable of camping on the network using LTE protocol, the device
continues to use LTE protocol for accessing or communicating with
the network (block 340). If the device is incapable of camping on
the network using LTE protocol, the device switches to using the
LTE MTC coverage enhancement mode for accessing or communicating
with the network (block 320). The features described in FIG. 3 can
be implemented in a non-MTC device regardless of whether or not the
MTC specification is included in the LTE protocol.
[0037] As an example, a device using LTE functionality may not be
able to access a network due to inferior network quality (i.e., a
radio link between the device and the network is below a threshold
quality level). The device may directly determine the inferior
network quality, or the network may transmit quality metrics to the
device that enables the device to determine the inferior network
quality. The device may trigger its modem (or the network may
trigger the device to trigger its modem) to switch to a MTC
coverage enhancement mode based on the MTC specification in the LTE
protocol. The device will need to implement portions (e.g., all
portions) of the MTC specification. For example, the device will
need to register as a MTC device.
[0038] The invention is not limited to any particular types of
devices (either MTC devices or non-MTC devices). As used herein, a
device may also be referred to as a UE, a system, or apparatus.
Examples of devices include mobile phones or other mobile computing
devices, mobile televisions, laptop computers, smart screens,
tablet computers or tablets, portable desktop computers, e-readers,
scanners, portable media devices, gaming devices, cameras or other
image-capturing devices, headgear, eyewear, watches, bands (e.g.,
wristbands) or other wearable devices, or other portable computing
or non-computing devices.
[0039] Each processor described herein generally includes circuitry
for implementing audio, visual, and/or logic functions. For
example, the processor may include a digital signal processor
device, a microprocessor device, and various analog-to-digital
converters, digital-to-analog converters, and other support
circuits. Control and signal processing functions of the system in
which the processor resides may be allocated between these devices
according to their respective capabilities. The processor may also
include functionality to operate one or more software programs
based at least partially on computer-executable program code
portions thereof, which may be stored, for example, in a
memory.
[0040] Each memory may include any computer-readable medium. For
example, memory may include volatile memory, such as volatile
random access memory ("RAM") having a cache area for the temporary
storage of data. Memory may also include non-volatile memory, which
may be embedded and/or may be removable. The non-volatile memory
may additionally or alternatively include an EEPROM, flash memory,
and/or the like. The memory may store any one or more of pieces of
information and data used by the system in which it resides to
implement the functions of that system.
[0041] The various features described with respect to any
embodiments described herein are applicable to any of the other
embodiments described herein. As used herein, the terms data and
information may be used interchangeably. Although many embodiments
of the present invention have just been described above, the
present invention may be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Also, it
will be understood that, where possible, any of the advantages,
features, functions, devices, and/or operational aspects of any of
the embodiments of the present invention described and/or
contemplated herein may be included in any of the other embodiments
of the present invention described and/or contemplated herein,
and/or vice versa. In addition, where possible, any terms expressed
in the singular form herein are meant to also include the plural
form and/or vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise. As used
herein, "at least one" shall mean "one or more" and these phrases
are intended to be interchangeable. Accordingly, the terms "a"
and/or "an" shall mean "at least one" or "one or more," even though
the phrase "one or more" or "at least one" is also used herein.
Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
[0042] As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art
in view of this disclosure, the present invention may include
and/or be embodied as an apparatus (including, for example, a
system, machine, device, computer program product, and/or the
like), as a method (including, for example, a business method,
computer-implemented process, and/or the like), or as any
combination of the foregoing. Accordingly, embodiments of the
present invention may take the form of an entirely business method
embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware,
resident software, micro-code, stored procedures, etc.), an
entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment combining business
method, software, and hardware aspects that may generally be
referred to herein as a "system." Furthermore, embodiments of the
present invention may take the form of a computer program product
that includes a computer-readable storage medium having one or more
computer-executable program code portions stored therein. As used
herein, a processor, which may include one or more processors, may
be "configured to" perform a certain function in a variety of ways,
including, for example, by having one or more general-purpose
circuits perform the function by executing one or more
computer-executable program code portions embodied in a
computer-readable medium, and/or by having one or more
application-specific circuits perform the function.
[0043] It will be understood that any suitable computer-readable
medium may be utilized. The computer-readable medium may include,
but is not limited to, a non-transitory computer-readable medium,
such as a tangible electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,
infrared, and/or semiconductor system, device, and/or other
apparatus. For example, in some embodiments, the non-transitory
computer-readable medium includes a tangible medium such as a
portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory
(RAM), a read-only memory ("ROM"), an erasable programmable
read-only memory ("EPROM" or Flash memory), a compact disc
read-only memory ("CD-ROM"), and/or some other tangible optical
and/or magnetic storage device. In other embodiments of the present
invention, however, the computer-readable medium may be transitory,
such as, for example, a propagation signal including
computer-executable program code portions embodied therein.
[0044] One or more computer-executable program code portions for
carrying out operations of the present invention may include
object-oriented, scripted, and/or unscripted programming languages,
such as, for example, Java, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, SAS, SQL, Python,
Objective C, JavaScript, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the
one or more computer-executable program code portions for carrying
out operations of embodiments of the present invention are written
in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C"
programming languages and/or similar programming languages. The
computer program code may alternatively or additionally be written
in one or more multi-paradigm programming languages, such as, for
example, F#.
[0045] Some embodiments of the present invention are described
herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams of apparatus and/or methods. It will be understood that
each block included in the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and/or combinations of blocks included in the flowchart
illustrations and/or block diagrams, may be implemented by one or
more computer-executable program code portions. These one or more
computer-executable program code portions may be provided to a
processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,
and/or some other programmable information processing apparatus in
order to produce a particular machine, such that the one or more
computer-executable program code portions, which execute via the
processor of the computer and/or other programmable information
processing apparatus, create mechanisms for implementing the steps
and/or functions represented by the flowchart(s) and/or block
diagram block(s).
[0046] The one or more computer-executable program code portions
may be stored in a transitory and/or non-transitory
computer-readable medium (e.g., a memory, etc.) that can direct,
instruct, and/or cause a computer and/or other programmable
information processing apparatus to function in a particular
manner, such that the computer-executable program code portions
stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of
manufacture including instruction mechanisms which implement the
steps and/or functions specified in the flowchart(s) and/or block
diagram block(s).
[0047] The one or more computer-executable program code portions
may also be loaded onto a computer and/or other programmable
information processing apparatus to cause a series of operational
steps to be performed on the computer and/or other programmable
apparatus. In some embodiments, this produces a
computer-implemented process such that the one or more
computer-executable program code portions which execute on the
computer and/or other programmable apparatus provide operational
steps to implement the steps specified in the flowchart(s) and/or
the functions specified in the block diagram block(s).
Alternatively, computer-implemented steps may be combined with,
and/or replaced with, operator- and/or human-implemented steps in
order to carry out an embodiment of the present invention.
[0048] While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and
shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that
such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on
the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the
specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since
various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications and
substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above
paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled in the art will appreciate
that various adaptations, modifications, and combinations of the
just described embodiments can be configured without departing from
the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be
understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the
invention may be practiced other than as specifically described
herein.
* * * * *